Gripping Jonny's waist, Jessie spun them around and headed for the stairs. She could feel the wind from the pursuing demon's beating wings at her back, and ducked, making them turn sharply. They crashed through the dining room, hovering over the table and dodging the chandelier, scattering china and silverware behind them. Finally they smashed through the window and flew towards the river. Back in the conservatory, Arnaud recovered his sword-cane and crawled to where Hadji lay crumpled on the floor. The old man slapped the boy's unconscious face. "Snap out of it! Your friends need your help!" Hadji sat up immediately and shook himself, finally able to break the spell now that the demon's concentration was weakened. "What must I do?" he demanded, scrambling to his feet. Arnaud handed him the sword-cane. "This might stop her, if it is not too late. Go!" But Hadji was already out the door. Jonny and Jessie glided swiftly over the river, the eerie half-light of the moon reflecting on the water. Jonny glanced up at the moon and saw that it was already emerging from the shadow. "The eclipse is almost over!" he said over his shoulder. But the demon was not about to lose its last chance to live. It lunged forward and plucked Jessie from the hoverboard. "Jonny!" she cried, struggling in the creature's grasp, and Jonny leaped after them to catch the demon's tail. Jessie grabbed the claws digging into her shoulders and tried to pull them apart, but the demon only howled and gripped her tighter. Then Jessie felt herself weakening as the creature began to drain the life force from her body. Meanwhile Jonny remembered the silver bullet he was still carrying in his pocket. Quickly he grabbed it and pressed it against the demon's side. The creature screamed in rage and pain, thrashing wildly. Jonny lost his grip on its tail and plummeted into the river below. Hadji burst out of the mansion and raced along the riverbank. Ahead of him he could see the horrible demon flying above the river, carrying a still-struggling Jessie. A greenish light surrounded them as the creature used its magic to drain Jessie's life essence. Hadji was enraged. How could he have let this happen? Hadji raised the sword-cane and hurled it with all his might at the demon, whispering a fervent plea. "Let my aim be true!" The creature shrieked in pain and anger as the silver shaft found its mark, and Jessie's limp form dropped towards the river below. Hadji immediately dove after her, oblivious to the wailing demon plummeting from the sky. He surfaced with Jessie in his arms and quickly swam towards the shore, where Jonny had just pulled himself out of the water. Revived by the cold water, Jessie coughed and opened her eyes. She raised her head to see Hadji looking down at her worriedly as he waded toward the riverbank. To her immense relief, his eyes were no longer clouded and vacant under Elise's influence. Suddenly a horrible scream made Jessie break her gaze from Hadji's and look over her shoulder, just in time to see the thrashing demon rise from the river. The dying creature howled in fury, phasing through several different demonic forms in an effort to sustain itself, before crumbling completely into vapor. Jessie shuddered, and Hadji's shoulders drooped in relief. He splashed up the bank and set Jessie down gently on the grass, sinking down beside her in silence. Jonny came to stand beside them, watching Arnaud bid his sister goodbye. The old Frenchman kissed the worn photograph for the last time and let it fall into the river. "Now, Celeste, you may finally rest in peace." Turning, he walked slowly back toward the mansion, leaving the three friends alone on the shore. Hadji put his hand on Jessie's shoulder, biting his lip. "Are you all right?" His voice was heavy with concern. She nodded. "I'm OK…just a little freaked out." Hadji looked up at Jonny, who nodded in agreement. "I'm fine, too. But we better get back to the house and call the police." Still a little dazed and not quite able to believe what had just happened, Jessie snapped back to reality and rose shakily to her feet. Hadji quickly reached out to steady her, and she found herself very grateful for his supporting arm around her. She glanced up at him as they made their way back to the house and noticed a far-away look in his eyes. "Are you OK?" she asked softly, eyeing a bruise on his cheek. Hadji met her gaze and laughed dryly. "I am not the one who had my life force drained by a demon, Jessie. You should not be worrying about me." Unconvinced, Jessie continued in silence. Back at the mansion, police questioned Arnaud and recovered Andrew's withered body from the observatory. Wrapped in warm blankets, the three teenagers described the night's events to the sergeant from two days previous. When they were through, he surprised them all by laughing. "Now even for Nawlins that's quite a story," he drawled, shaking his head. Then he gestured to the back of the police car, where the wealthy old widow sat in quiet incredulity. "But Mrs. Adrian confirmed it. Says she's been in a trance for six months." The sergeant shrugged. "Heck, maybe we were all under that girl's spell." He pointed to the prowl car, "You kids need a lift back?" The three friends shook their heads emphatically and simultaneously cried, "No!" They had had enough excitement for one night. "No, officer," Hadji answered more calmly, raising his keys, "we are fine." The sergeant nodded goodnight and turned to leave with the rest of the police. Jessie looked at Hadji again, still worried about his reaction to the whole situation. "Are you sure you're OK?" Hadji smiled briefly as he rewound his turban and replaced the heirloom jewel. "Yes." He hesitated, and Jessie's worry grew. "It is just…I will never meet another girl like her again." Jessie's heart sank at the sight of his long face, but her fears were quieted when Hadji brightened, his old mischief returned. "I hope!" he added fervently. "Yeah," Jessie agreed. "Pretty scary." Jonny chimed in with his usual lame sense of humor. "Hey, at least you got a great view of the eclipse!" Jessie was not amused. Back at the hotel, Jessie sat on her bed and brushed out her damp hair. She felt better after taking a hot shower, but she was still tired and a little dazed from her ordeal. She still couldn't quite get over the weirdness of the whole situation. Jessie was roused from her reverie by a knock at the door. "Come in," she called, half expecting another demon. But it was only Hadji, looking tired and a little uncertain. Jessie smiled, and he came in and sat down across from her. "Feeling better?" "Yeah," she nodded. "You?" "I'm fine," he answered, smiling slightly, "although I would not recommend demon possession as a hobby. It gives you quite a headache." Jessie looked at him curiously. "What was it like?" she asked. "I mean, did you know what was happening?" Hadji looked thoughtful. "It was very strange," he said. "It was as if I was there but I could not get out. I remember wanting to do one thing, and then having to watch myself do just the opposite. It was very frustrating," he added, rubbing his temples. "But, on the bright side, I did not have my life force drained, so I should not complain." Jessie shrugged her shoulders and tried to speak lightly. "Hey, I've been through much worse than that." Hadji shook his head, looking at her seriously. "But not because of me. None of this would have happened if I hadn't fallen under the demon's spell." "You can't blame yourself, Hadji," protested Jessie. "It's not like anyone could have expected to be possessed. And besides, you're the one who killed the demon and saved my life. Which, by the way," she added with a smile," I still need to thank you for." "Please don't," said Hadji. "It was the least I could do after what you went through on my account. But I wanted to thank you, for knowing me well enough to be suspicious of Elise, and for trying to protect me." Jessie blushed. "I was just doing what anybody should do for a friend." "But no one else saw anything odd about my behavior, which I am ashamed to say would have been inexcusable even if Elise hadn't been a demon." "You mean the part about dumping your friends to run off with the first pretty girl you meet?" Jessie asked with a hint of mischief. Hadji groaned. "Please don't remind me! I certainly hope I would never do such a foolish thing." "Me too," agreed Jessie. "I'm glad I was right about you. Besides, I really didn't think Elise was your type," she grinned. Hadji laughed. "Yes, she was a little old for me…by about a few hundred years!" They looked at each other, relieved to be able to find humor in the grisly events of the past day, but still a little worried about their reactions. "So…" said Jessie slowly, "are you going to stop feeling guilty about everything anytime soon or do I have to resort to violence to make you see the light?" Hadji nodded. "It is just…for a while there I was afraid we were going to lose you." Jessie smiled at his look of concern. "You know I'm not that easy to get rid of. I guess it runs in the family." "Thank goodness for that!" said Hadji earnestly, and surprised them both by giving her a quick hug. "I'm sorry about everything that happened," said Hadji softly against her ear, then drew away to grin at her. "I promise that if I ever get possessed again, I'll make sure not to get my closest friends involved." "And I promise to carry a supply of silver bullets at all times, so we can make sure your next girlfriend isn't a demon!" quipped Jessie in return. "I wouldn't worry about that for a while yet, Jessie," said Hadji seriously. "Right now, I am perfectly happy with the friends I already have." The End Hope you all enjoyed my version of this episode…check out the pictures of Elise and Hadji and Jessie at Wendy's incredible Eraser Dust JQ Art Gallery! (c) IRIS 1998